250 Japanese Knitting Stitches: The Original Pattern Bible by Hitomi Shida Paperback – October 23, 2018

I sincerely hope the one star reviewer contacted the publisher as instructed to receive the complete book.I have the original, and was thrilled to see this translated edition. I have successfully knit a few stitches from the original book, however struggled at times trying to figure out if I was working the stitches the correct way. This book makes it much easier to understand how these beautiful stitches should be worked.All stitch patterns are charted, and the book contains clear, concise information on how to read the charts as well as a 19 page "Guide to Symbols" in the front of the book which has the abbreviations used in the book along with what to do for each symbol, broken up into sections (increases, decreases, etc.). A nice feature is that this guide also tells you the pages of the stitch patterns that use that particular stitch. There is a second symbol guide in the back of the book with more complex stitches that includes illustrations of how to work them. All of the samples are beautifully photographed and show the detail of the pattern extremely well.The book has the following types of stitches:97 openwork stitch patterns, (38 plain openwork, 22 with bobbles, 11 with knots, 14 with leaves, and 12 with smocking)35 overall patterns26 pattern arrangements48 with crossing stitches15 panel patterns29 edgingsAlso note that Ms. Roehm (who translated this book) is active in the Japan Knitting & Crochet group on Ravelry, where you can find lots of helpful information on Japanese knitting and crochet.

I bought this book after savoring her other book on the same topic. I treasure them both. As the title indicates, it’s a stitionary, but the complex and gorgeous patterns make use of crochet and other techniques combined with traditional Western knitting in ingenious ways. Essentially, Shida has combined Eastern esthetics and a whole new set of stitch techniques to create complex but beautiful panels that I want to work into my knitting.Text is relegated to explanations of the stitch combination symbols and can get quite complicated. The book format is mostly pretty good photos of the panels with an accompanying chart. Most of us will want to keep one finger stuck in the symbol descriptions while we scan the charts in order to understand what’s happening. But when you do, a glimpse into the harmony and elegance of the technique as well as the finished panel emerges. One thing that made the book worth purchase for me is the section on edgings, especially the ones incorporating ribbing. I will never have a plain, boring cuff again!The only improvement I could desire in the next edition would be a spiral binding to allow the book to lie flat when opened.

There are so many beautiful stitches in this book! I love to design on my own and know that I will be using some of these. Some of these can look a little bit intimidating, but when you break them down, row by row, then stitch by stitch, it's not bad at all. There are really good diagrams and explanations for some of the harder-to-explain stitches. Once you learn the stitch and do it over and over it seems much easier. I think it's going to take some concentration - not TV watching knitting.

Beautiful photos with diagram of design right beside it. Well written with good explanations of stitches and chart diagrams. Charts can be a little confusing to follow at first, just have to remember to only go across the chart for the #of stitches in design then start the repeat of the design againEach designs stitches are explained either at the front or rear of the book with the explanation on how to make each stitch.Just wish it was a spiral bound volume so it would lay flat when using it.

Book “250 Japanese Knitting Stitches: The Original Pattern Bible by Hitomi Shida”: Excellent book! Stunning patterns – all you need in your lifetime to create gorgeous exquisite garments. I love it very much and would recommend to any knitter to add to their knitting books library.

I am a lifelong knitter, and prefer to follow written instructions to charts. However, "250 Japanese Knitting Stitches" is an amazing collection of beautiful stitch patterns, each with a chart next to the stitch illustration. Most of the patterns are quite complex, and might intimidate a new knitter, but are well worth the challenge. There is a detailed guide in the front of the book which shows each symbol used, written instructions on how to knit it, and what numbered patterns in the book use the stitch. Given the repetitive nature of knitting, once you "learn" a particular stitch, you might only use the chart occasionally, mainly following the stitch pattern you've already established. I recommend this fabulous book to anyone. It is a joyful treasure of beauty and craftsmanship!

The book contains easy patterns with few special stitches and those containing more difficult. I made a scarf with 9 different patterns. I started with the "easy" patterns and with each new pattern, I added a more difficult stitch to keep it interesting. Enjoyed the patterns and will be using them in more projects.

As a knitter, simply leafing through the pages fills me with inspiration. The stitch designs are exquisite. For each, there is a photograph of a good-sized swatch and a chart. The chart symbols frequently represent groups of stitches, similar to how cables are charted in western patterns. They are explained step by step, but as they are unfamiliar, they may take some getting used to. These designs are not for beginners, but knitters who are comfortable with western patterns that employ cables or lace and want to let their creativity loose should definitely consider this book!